


Looking for Asylum

by SrebrnaFH



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Herbert West - Reanimator - H. P. Lovecraft, Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Crack, Jim is a creep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-07-12 18:21:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16000757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SrebrnaFH/pseuds/SrebrnaFH
Summary: Mycroft tries to find an institution that would accept Moriarty as a permanent patient.





	Looking for Asylum

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Persistence: Part 4](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15780114) by [JaneOfCakes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaneOfCakes/pseuds/JaneOfCakes). 



> The most important part: This story makes no sense unless you read [Persistence](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1038800) series, by the lovely [JaneOfCakes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaneOfCakes/pseuds/JaneOfCakes) AND especially the [comments](https://archiveofourown.org/comments/183904055). We went a little wild there with various speculations and she kindly agreed to me writing a tiny piece that would deal with the idea of Moriarty being placed in a secure facility...

Mycroft regarded the documents in front of him in distaste. It was the last thing he wanted to deal with, but he simply had to resolve that issue. He owed it to his brother and his... life partner.

He could probably ignore the problem for a few more minutes, but it would have to be resolved before the end of the day - in East Coast time.

He glanced at the grainy picture from a surveillance camera for a moment, but he went back to the thick file in front of him.

 

_Dear Sir,_

_In reference to the previous correspondence on the topic, we respectfully request you to seek another accommodation for a patient referred to us by the British NHS, J. Moriarty._

_Our institution was founded with the express aim at ensuring both the safety of the society from the criminally insane amongst us and the potential for said individuals to, if not redeem themselves, at least find a secure place to live and a possibility of giving something back to the society they had hurt so much._

_We do not hold great hopes regarding that aim, but we have to try._

_In that regard, the stay of Mr Moriarty amongst our patients is stirring up some uncomfortable undercurrents. We've had testimony_ _**and** _ _CCTV footage (enclosed) that proves Mr Moriarty cannot be held in common areas where resocialisation is hoped for. We cannot keep him in solitary, as he not only seems to cope with it without stress, but he actually relishes it and gives the proof by singing, shouting various obscenities and screaming in a steady fashion for several hours in a row, which disturbs the few patients who require uninterrupted sleep,_

_I urge you to find a new place for Mr Moriarty. We can continue holding him (in padded solitary) for a few more weeks (two months at a maximum), but I definitely recommend finding a place better prepared to deal with cases like this._

_In case you need additional proof of his ability to disturb the relative peace of our hospital, please see the enclosed video and observe the reactions of the most senior patients. I will add here that these were the patients for whom we hold the least hope of redemption, and yet even they seem to be rather obviously alarmed by his behaviour._

_Respectfully_

_Adam Arkham_

_Gotham City Hospital_

_Arkham Asylum_

 

Mycroft turned to the screen and finally, reluctantly, pressed Play.

The small prison yard was not very densely populated, but there were enough people to make it a challenge to find Moriarty immediately. Yet, there he was, holding court, with several big, hulking men surrounding him and listening to him in rapture.

Yet, the other patients present seemed to avoid the little group as much as physically possible.

Something clicked and audio came on.

Oh.

Moriarty was explaining what he did to John Watson.

Mycroft felt sick. The level of revulsion raised as Moriarty detailed his ideas that never reached fruition - and revelled in them, as something he was still planning to act upon.

With effort, he refocused. He knew the kind of people Moriarty attracted, he had to have a look at ones _less_ happy about his presence.

On a bench precisely all the way across from Moriary, on the other side of the yard, two men sat in rigid positions of someone significantly surprised and disgusted.

The audio clicked (probably a switch of the microphone) and their voices were audible now.

_"This is... Intolerable" the taller one uttered, red-painted lips pursed in distaste._

_"We are honest psychopaths" the small, rotund man next to him rasped. "We cannot be put into one category with... with..."_

_"He is actually happy about it" Joker (it had to be Joker, going by description) added incredulously. "I mean, I was happy the few times I managed to get the idiot in black to get blamed for this or that, but... Moriarty seems..."_

_Penguin grimaced._

_"I don't understand the modern criminal" he confessed. "And this one is_ _**unnatural** _ _" he flexed his three-fingered hand and grasped the back of the bench to heave himself upward. "We should not be associated with ones like him. I am..." he sniffed. "Worried. And I admit it freely. We cannot allow ourselves to be mixed with someone of that attitude. I mean, not that I wouldn't be willing to do in the soldier he describes, but why... prolong it so? Where does it lead? Did he..."_

_"Don't try" Joker interrupted him. "Don't even try. Trying to understand him..."_

_"No" Penguin agreed quickly and turned away from the small group. "We are not of the same sort as him. We must make it clear to the doctors."_

The recording ended with both of elderly patients steadfastly looking to the left, sitting silently.

Oh, well.

The obvious next move was to apply to yet another famous institution of the same character, and there was a fat letter from Arkham City Sanitarium waiting for Mycroft's perusal.

He removed an old-fashioned red seal with some kind of sigil. From one side, it looked like a tree, but when he turned it, it seemed to be more like a star with a little flame inside.

_Doesn't matter._

The letter inside... Well. Well. _Well._

Thick, creamy paper. Calligraphy, old-style. And several more folded missives, all hand-written, all in different hands.

 

_To: Mr Mycroft Holmes_

 

_Re: Possible transfer of a patient_

 

_Dear Sir,_

 

_Please accept out utmost apologies, but to our highest chagrin, we cannot in good faith offer a place at out sanitarium to the patient you are seeking to transfer._

_However unorthodox it may seem, we have a longstanding policy of consulting any addition of new inhabitants to our institution with the current patients. We have received a resounding "no" from all of them in the week from requesting their feedback. Our most esteemed charge, Mr. Herbert West (known in the scientific circles as "The Reanimator") has drummed up significant amount of signatures under his petition against including Mr. Moriarty in their ranks. If you count them, you will see that we actually have more signatures than patients on the roster, which attests to Mr West's commitment to the cause._

_Please do not take this rejection as a slight against your patient - I am assured he is a fine specimen of deranged criminal. Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate him at this point, and judging by Mr West's continuing effort, we will never be able to do so._

 

_My sincere regards_

 

_Annabella Marsh_

_Arkham City Sanitarium for Criminal Minds_

 

And there went the last one.

Mycroft lowered his head to his desk and didn't even bother reading the protest and the signatures. He knew Herbert West by reputation and wouldn't doubt the man managed to raise enough old patients from the dead to produce the number of signatures two times larger than the number of the hospital dwellers.

Oh, well.

_There have to be some other places to put a mad consulting criminal, right?_

**Author's Note:**

> A bit... away from my normal stuff, I suppose, but it asked to be written.


End file.
